ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 13: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons tries to avoid the tackle of Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Georgia Dome on January 13, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Photo: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 13: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons...

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Atlanta's Julio Jones is an imposing target (6-foot-3) who grabbed six passes against Seattle on Sunday.

"We've played against a who's who of quarterbacks," safety Donte Whitner said Tuesday. "We feel like we can play with anybody."

Ryan lacks the playoff pedigree of those other quarterbacks, but he brings a strong arm and a deep supply of sizable targets in Julio Jones, Roddy White and ageless Tony Gonzalez.

The 49ers bring confidence resulting from their two victories over Rodgers and one each over Brees and Brady. The quarterbacks made noise at times - most notably, Brady threw for 355 yards in guiding the Patriots to 31 second-half points on Dec. 16 - but the 49ers ultimately won.

Whitner acknowledged those victories might help San Francisco's defense as it prepares for Sunday's NFC title game against Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.

"First and foremost, you have to know what you're doing when you play the top quarterbacks in the league," Whitner said. "You have to have veteran guys who understand pre-snap is everything to (the quarterbacks). If you show them what they want, they'll get the ball where it's supposed to go and make a big play.

"If you have a bunch of guys who are conscious of that, you can disguise coverages and not give them what they want - then they have to take a couple of seconds longer after the snap. And by that time, the pass rush is there. We do those things, so that's why we have success against those guys."

Whitner's colleague in the secondary, Dashon Goldson, echoed the importance of disguising coverages against Ryan. The 49ers need every edge they can get to corral Atlanta's high-powered passing game and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years.

"Ryan is very confident in his guys," Goldson said. "He's the Comeback Kid. He does a lot with his arm and he's pretty smart with the football."

Rodgers, Brees and Brady all have capable receivers, but Atlanta's trio might offer the most potent blend of size and speed. Gonzalez (93), White (92) and Jones (79) combined for 264 catches this season, a mind-numbing total.

Gonzalez (6-foot-5), Jones (6-3) and White (6-0) reached those dizzying numbers, in part, because they are uniquely equipped to snag passes in traffic.

"Whenever you play big guys, the quarterback can throw the ball and they'll go up and get it," Whitner said. "They're not afraid to come over the middle. And they can break tackles - if you miss tackles against bigger guys, they can take it to the house."